French driver Sébastien Ogier has made history in motorsport after winning the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally for a record 10th time in the event's history. Driving a "Toyota Yaris" Ogier secured victory by 18.5 seconds over his teammate – Welshman Elphin Evans after an incredible final day through the French Alps.
Ogier finished in first place with a time of 3 hours, 19 minutes, 06.1 seconds. Evans, who had been running 2nd the whole time, never managed to find a way to displace the Frenchman from the top, although there were indications of such.
Both opted for "Hankook" studded tires and only two super soft sections - an approach that proved effective on the icy roads of Avançon – Notre Dame du Lau, but made them unsafe on the drier sections. Shortly before the last two special stages, Frenchman Adrien Fourmeaux from the "Hyundai" team showed that he was not to be underestimated and overtook both Toyotas by 23.9 seconds and 17.8 seconds respectively, which threatened the first two at the top.
When the three of them stepped onto the icy "Col de Turini" section, the chances of all three were equal, and Fourmeaux – switched from "Ford" before the season, failed to make a start. In this situation, eight-time world champion Ogier opened the season in the World Rally Championship with a memorable victory.
The 2024 world champion Thierry Neuville (Belgium) with Hyundai ranked 6th in the final standings, 5:44.2 minutes from the top. Neuville had a lot of problems on the second and third days, but today he caught up a little. The Russian with a Bulgarian license Nikolay Gryazin remained in 9th place, 11:40.7 minutes behind the winner.
The next round of the rally championship is on snow and ice in Sweden and will be held in Umeå from 13 to 16 February.